


Fella's and Dame's, Either Way, I Choose Him

by Bone_Bandit_Agent_Worm



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Domestic Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Eventual Smut, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Bucky Barnes, LMAO, Maybe - Freeform, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, no beta we die like men, peggy is only mentioned, probably, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 13:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19174402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bone_Bandit_Agent_Worm/pseuds/Bone_Bandit_Agent_Worm
Summary: "Please, Tony. He's damaged. We both know what PTSD feels like, we both know it's hard to heal alone when people hate you. Just...Look at his files, actually see how traumatized he is.""Fine. I'll take a look." And so Tony glances over the large stack of files, his eyes widening before he shuts the file he was looking in. He's pale and stiff."....He can stay."This is set post-CAFA and post-CAWS but half post-CACW and half pre-CACW. When Bucky is found by Steve, they get out of the building before they are attacked. T'Challa follows them back to the Avengers Tower where Tony and Steve talk it out like adults and they all start living in the tower. This is that story. Or the story where people are more reasonable and have some fucking common sense.Fuck Endgame. It never happens.





	Fella's and Dame's, Either Way, I Choose Him

Steve and Tony are sitting in one of the many meeting rooms in the Avengers tower. In front of them on the table are stacks of files from several different sources, but most are S.H.E.I.L.D and Hydra files. 

"Tony, he needs me! He needs us! Handing him over to the government for something he didn't do is a terrible idea."

"Oh yeah? What about the other things he's done? How many people has he killed, Rogers? He's a criminal!" Steve huffs in anger.

"So what? He was fucking brainwashed, Tony! And so what if he's killed people? Natasha used to be an assassin, yet I don't see you handing her over to a government official. The same government official who wanted to, what was it? Oh yeah, fucking dissect Bruce! We can't trust them!" Tony throws his hands up out of frustration.

"Yeah, there's some shit happening there, but suck it up! And was he really brainwashed? He killed my fucking parents, Rogers! He killed my mom! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave this room and kill him myself."

"He knew Howard personally! He was a friend! And yeah, he was fucking brainwashed! He didn't even recognize me. He didn't remember his own name! For the love of God, Tony, look at his fucking files if you don't believe me!" Tony raises his voice, the air around the two tense.

"No, I won't, because I know I'll see her in there. I'll just see his victims. I can't handle that right now, Rogers."

"Please, Tony. He's damaged. We both know what PTSD feels like, we both know it's hard to heal alone when people hate you. Just...Look at his files, actually see how traumatized he is."

"Fine. I'll take a look." And so Tony glances over the large stack of files and chooses one. After flipping through it, his eyes widen before he shuts the file he was looking in. He's pale and stiff.

"....He can stay." As he says this, Tony puts the file down, his hands shaking.

Steve picks it up while Tony sits down, staring off into space. This is one he hasn't seen before.

Inside the file he picked up showcases graphic images of the torture Bucky went through, notes talking about his healing factor and how they tested it. There are pictures of Bucky screaming in pain as he's stabbed, prodded with electroshock sticks, skinned, covered in boiling hot water, shot at, and held underwater in confined spaces. There are notes about sleep experiments they tried on him which consisted of them seeing how long he could go without sleep. To make sure he got up to at least a month, they would shock him to keep him awake. Some of these pages are spotted with blood. 

Steve feels pure rage, just absolute blinding white-hot anger. 

It's quiet on the other side of the door that separates the two men from the other Avengers and Bucky. Or was quiet since the man in question is hyperventilating, his back against the wall and knees pulled to his chest. Sam's voice is muffled to Bucky's ears, but he can still distinguish what he's saying.

"Alright, Soldier, I need ya to listen to my voice. Can ya hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?" Bucky nodded shakily, his metal hand twitching, chest heaving. 

"Good, good." Sam slowly walks over to Bucky and crouches down. "Is it okay if I touch you? It can help ground you, but I need to know if it'll be okay, Bucky."

Bucky makes a soft panicked noise and starts sobbing, mumbling, "Please don't hurt me," over and over again. 

Sam backs up and quickly says, "It's alright, it's alright. I won't touch you. I won't hurt you, don't worry." Bucky just sobs harder and mumbles something.

Natasha finally speaks up and asks in a soft voice, "What was that, Bucky?"

Bucky, who continues to sob and shake, nearly screams, "STEVE! I need Steve!" His voice sounds scratchy and shakes with those four words. 

Suddenly, the door Tony and Steve were discussing behind opens and Steve steps out with a concerned look on his face. Once he spots Bucky, he immediately crouches down and gently holds Bucky's face in between both his palms. Bucky's breath hitches in his throat but he makes a small noise of acknowledgment.

"Ste-Steve? Where-where am-where am I-I? Is-Is it-Is it real-it really-it really you?" Bucky's voice is rough and shaky, but he leans into Steve, grasping the blonde's shirt with his flesh hand.

Steve gathers the brunette in his arms and rocks him gently, softly talking to the whimpering man in his lap. The other Avengers standby awkwardly, watching this scene play out in front of them. T'Challa watches from outside the building through a large window. He's currently doubting that this broken man was the one who killed his father.

Hell, the only picture they have of the man who did isn't even that clear, and no DNA was found that would confirm it was the Winter Soldier. Perhaps...Sergeant James Barnes isn't the culprit. It's all a theory, after all. And after thinking it through, T'Challa goes to the entrance of the Avengers tower without his panther suit and, after checking in with security, heads up to the common room/floor.

Bucky is still in Steve's embrace, taking shuddering breaths while silent tears roll down his cheeks. Tony's watch beeps, startling everyone, even Natasha. The sudden noise causes Bucky to gasp and grip Steve's biceps out of fear. Steve just picks him up and takes him into the room he and Tony just came out of. The door closes.

Tony just shrugs and looks at the other Avengers with worry in his eyes.

"King T'Challa is coming up. He'll be here in three...two...one-" And the door to the elevator opens, King T'Challa walking out of it.

He nods and says in a Wakandan accent, "Hello, Avengers. I have been informed that you may or may not be harbouring Sergeant James Barnes, or more well known as, the Winter Soldier. I need to talk to him."

Surprisingly, Clint speaks up. "With all due respect, your highness, he's very busy right now. Along with Captain America."

T'challa just smiles patiently and nods. "I understand that. However, when he calms down from his panic attack, I will need to confirm a few things."

Tony's eyes widen in surprise and he stares at the King. "How-How did you know that he was having a panic attack?"

T'Challa just chuckles and glances at the door. "My hearing is probably better than yours what with all the explosions you're next to day to day. And one of you-" He then glances at Clint who has his hearing aids in, "-is unable to hear without assistance. Regardless, talking to Sergeant Barnes is a priority. Especially if he wasn't the one who planted the bombs and killed my father."

The room goes silent, and the only sounds that can be heard are whimpers and comforting whispers coming from Bucky and Steve through the door. Then, Tony steps up and walks closer to T'Challa.

"Well, your highness, he isn't the culprit. He's the victim. It's obvious that he's been tortured and abused. He looks underweight, surprisingly, some of his bones probably never healed properly, he's FREEZING-" T'Challa raises a hand to stop Tony.

"I don't care about that. I just need a yes or no from him and then I will leave you to tend to him. After everything he's been through, he deserves to be treated like a human, not a weapon."

Clint nods to Natasha when she glances at him and he walks towards T'Challa. "In that case, you can sit down," he gestures to the sofas and armchairs, "and wait. Would you like any tea or coffee? Water?"

Sitting down on the nearest sofa, T'Challa just patiently smiles. "Just water, please."

Behind the door, the situation with Bucky and Steve isn't calm in the slightest.

Bucky is gasping when he breathlessly whispers, "I can't breathe, Stevie. Everything is getting darker. Steve...Steve! Help..."  
He ends with a whimper. 

All Steve can do is hold him close and whisper comforting phrases to him. Ever since he rescued Bucky from that metal table in Zola's lab, he had panic attacks and nightmares, sometimes out of the blue. Certain things can trigger one, and feeling helpless and confused may have been it this time. For an hour, Steve rocks Bucky back and forth telling him that he's safe here in the tower. Eventually, Bucky passes out from exhaustion after he calms down.

Steve just kisses his forehead and picks him up bridal style. The door slides open and the other Avengers raise their heads and turn their attention to the blonde carrying a Russian assassin like he's a sleeping child. Bucky is curled in on himself and is holding onto Steve's shirt in his sleep and his eyebrows are drawn close and he's biting his lip. Tony decides to speak up.

"Captain, I want you to meet the current King of Wakanda, King T'Challa." The King in question does a small bow in Steves direction, who just nods.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

"Likewise, Captian." 

Steve walks over to an empty couch and places Bucky down, who curls into himself even more and shudders. Then, he looks up to T'Challa and quirks his eyebrow.

"Did you need something from us? Sorry if that sounds rude, its just...odd to have you here."

T'challa chuckles slightly with a sad look in his eyes. "I came to ask Sergeant Barnes about the day my father died."

Steve just sighs then nods. "I understand why you might want to question him, but he didn't do it. He wasn't even in the same country. I would wake him up to confirm this for you but...I don't think he's been sleeping."

With this, Steve looks down at Bucky and gently grasps his flesh hand, squeezing it a bit. Then he taps out a rhythm onto the others hand, which causes Bucky to relax in his sleep. Nat snorts.

"Did you just say "I love you" in Morse code?" Steve's face flushes.

"We-Well uhh....maybe?" He scratches the back of his neck, a tick he picked up from Bucky.

Everyone, save for Nat and T'Challa, looks at Steve in shock. Tony, in particular, is more than a little surprised that the Mr. United States himself is not straight. 

"Hold up a minute! You're gay?" Tony is so loud, Bucky wakes up, still holding one of Steve's hands.

"Иисус Христос!" The brunette jumps and gets closer to Steve.

"Buck, it's okay. Tony was just speaking loudly." The blonde runs his fingers through Bucky's hair. Bucky leans into the touch and makes a soft sound. Steve smiles and looks over to Tony.

"No, I'm not gay. I'm bisexual. Bucky is gay." The man in question nods slightly, smiling softly at the contact. Tony, however, just gapes at them.

"I thought you loved Peggy!" Steve clicks his tongue.

"I loved Peggy, and I still do. Just...not in the way I loved and still love Bucky. Besides, I said I'm bi, not gay." 

Bucky nods, and though his voice is still rough, he says, "I'm the gay one. But I'm also a bad person, and I honestly don't deserve this." And once again, the room falls silent. Steve's eyes soften when he looks at Bucky, and so does his voice. 

"Buck, I said it 70 years ago, and I'll continue to say it until you believe me: You deserve so much better and you can't be blamed for the things you've done." He then plants a kiss on Bucky's forehead, his fingers still running through his hair.

T'Challa clears his throat and asks Bucky, "Sergeant Barnes, I need to know if you were involved with the bombing that killed my father."

Bucky tenses at his name and his face goes somewhat blank. "I had no affiliations with the bombing. I was in a different country at the market buying plums. A man saw my face and called the police force. I didn't understand why until I saw the newspaper." 

T'Challa nods and sighs, "Thank you. I'll see myself out." And with that, he walks into the elevator, and the doors close.

Bucky blinks, looking somewhat dazed, and tugs on Steve's shirt. "Stevie...I'm real' tired. Do you have a blanket anywhere?" As he was saying this, Bucky stumbled over to a corner and laid down on the floor.

Steve, as well as the other Avengers, looked taken aback. "Wha- no, Buck, if you're tired, you can sleep in my bed." Tony looked over to Steve and raised an eyebrow. "Yes Tony, AFTER he gets treated medically."

This statement made Bucky panic. "No! No doctors!" Steve immediately rushes over to Bucky.

"Buck! Bucky, there won't be any doctors. We'll have Tony check you out. You can trust him." Bucky calms down, but he's still tense.

"Do you trust 'im, Stevie?" Steve smiles slightly.

"Yes, Doll. I trust him. He'll be gentle and he can be nice when he wants to." Tony scowls.

"I like to think I'm nice all the time, but go off." Bucky relaxes and nods.

"Okay...I'll get checked out by Tony."

Steve gently kisses his forehead and whispers, "Thank you for listening to me, Buck."

"Yeah, whatever, punk."

"Jerk." The couple is smiling softly, staring into each other's eyes with so much love and adoration that the other Avengers felt they might get a cavity. Finally, Tony cracks.

"Alright, that's too precious. Let's go check you out, Robocop."

"Please do not call me that, Stark." Bucky frowns.

"Let me thin- no. Now let's go. Are you coming too, Cap?" Steve nods.

"Of course I am." Tony just sighs and walks into the elevator, motioning for the two supersoldiers to follow. 

Once they're all in the said elevator, Tony presses a button and the doors close. Several seconds later, the trio has arrived at Tony and Bruce's lab. Bruce pops his head out from behind some sort of screen when he hears the elevator open.

Bruce smiles awkwardly and mumbles, "Do you guys need something? 'Cause I'll be happy to help."

Bucky's face crinkles in confusion. "Who is this?" Bruce turns his attention to Bucky.

"Well uh, I'm Bruce Banner. And you are...?"

"My name is Bucky." Bruce's face lights up in recognition.

"So YOU'RE Bucky. God, Steve loves to talk about you." Steve flushes slightly.

"I don't do it THAT much." Tony scoffs.

"Yeah, you do. It's like he's the only thing you know how to talk about." 

Bucky laughs. Not a giggle, nor a chuckle. His eyes close, throwing his head back a bit, and his hips shift left, his arms wrapping around his midsection. His eyes open slightly and shine a bright steel blue, shimmering in the light. His straight white teeth are seen through his parted lips, and Steve wonders how this perfect beautiful man chose him to love.

"Stevie, do ya really gush on about me to your friends? You're so khaki wacky, jeez." Steve grinned at the 40s slang, knowing that Bucky used it to confuse the other two men in the room.

"Well, you know me, dollface, I can't help it. You're a real dish, y'know? Anyone'd want a wolf like you if they could," and Steve winks at him.

Tony and Bruce look back and forth between the two men in bewilderment. Tony voices his confusion.

"Uhhhh...what?" Bucky grins and answers in an exaggerated Brooklyn accent.

"Oh, nothin'. He's jus' tellin' me all 'bout how I'm a dreamboat and look better than a dame." Steve snorts and hooks his fingers in Bucky's belt loops, tugging him closer.

"'Cause you're a four-o fella. And ya mus' know how much I missed ya." They both get a little teary-eyed at that, so they share a quick kiss and separate, deciding to talk more about it later.

Tony makes a face and says, "Love. Disgusting," he sighs and turns to Bruce, "We need to do a little check-up with Robocop here. Check his weight, wounds, all that shit."

Bruce speaks up in a timid voice and says, "I can help with that. I am a doctor, after all. Besides, you seem to be more excited about his metal arm than him." Tony gasps in faux shock, placing his hand on his 'heart' dramatically.

"What're you talking about, Bruce? Are you accusing me of lying to a supersoldier about my intentions?" Bruce just sighs and looks at Bucky.

"Would you like me to assist in the checkup? If not, I understand." Bucky considers all of this for a moment before nodding.

"Stevie clearly trusts you, and I like you better than Stark," Tony gasps, clearly offended, "so your help would be appreciated." Bruce smiles and gestures to a door that's ajar. 

Inside the room, there are a few cots, clearly meant for the injured. The walls are painted a pale lilac and the floor is tile, a sort of beige colour. As Bucky walks into the room, he glances around for cameras and hidden microphones, finding none. His tense shoulders relax slightly and he sits on one of the cots. Steve stands at the end of the cot, showing Bucky he doesn't plan on leaving. 

Bucky speaks in a quiet voice. "What do I have to do?" Bruce smiles gently and answers him by gesturing to a scale on the left side of the room.

"First, we'll weigh you. Then, we'll test your reflexes, check your blood pressure, your eyesight, the inside of your ears and mouth, and so on." Bucky considers all of this and nods, his way of saying he's okay with it. 

~Continued in the next chapter~

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this was meant to be a one-shot that fulfilled my stucky dreams (lmao), but I started writing too much and suddenly, I have a whole story planned. :/  
> It be like that sometimes.


End file.
